Hornets fall short in final

Saturday

Mar 2, 2013 at 10:00 AM

By Ed Patinoed.patino@hillsdale.netJONESVILLE — The offense took too long to come around for the Hillsdale High School girls basketball team.A fourth quarter rally fell short and the Hornets saw their season come to an end with a 46-32 loss to the Adrian Madison Trojans in the Class C district final Friday at Jonesville High School.Hillsdale (13-10) finished with the exact same record it finished with a year ago, but was stopped in the finals after winning district titles the previous two seasons. Madison (19-2) advanced to next week's regional tournament at Hudson.Trailing by 24 early in the fourth quarter, the Hornets made a run to get back within striking distance. Ten straight points by All-State nominee Hayley Maystead pulled Hillsdale to within 42-29 midway through the quarter, but the Trojans regrouped and shut down the Hornets after that."I'm proud of the girls and they hung in until the end and made it close," Hillsdale coach Nick Langston said. "We graduated a lot of players from last year, and this group did what was expected of them this season and I'm proud of that. I thank the seniors for bringing along our younger players, and this was a great group."For three quarter, the Hornets struggled to get into a rhythm offensively and ran into turnover trouble against the quick Trojans. But after being held to 16 points entering the fourth, Hillsdale outscored Madison 16-8 in the final frame."Hillsdale played a great game and never quit, and we had to weather the storm at the end," Madison coach Rick McNeil said. "Defense is our number one priority, and the girls did a good job stepping into the gaps and moving to the ball."Madison opened the game on an 18-2 run in the first 10 minutes, holding Hillsdale to two Maystead free throws in the process. Back-to-back 3-pointer by Ashley Morris and Kendall Hudson in the first minute of the second quarter made it 18-2.The Hornets fought back. Kim Sanderson hit a jumper to stop the Trojans' run, then a jumper by Sarah Maple and two more free throws by Maystead brought Hillsdale to within 20-8.Turnovers continued to hurt the Hornets in the closing minutes of the half, and an inside basket and free throws by Morris lifted the Trojans into a 24-8 lead by the intermission."Madison is a smart team and they don't turn the ball over," Langston said. "We knew they were going to try to hurry us and they did that. The difference tonight is they made shots against our zone."Madison extended its lead in the third quarter, then Ashley Bussing's driving shot early in the fourth made it 40-16.Maystead led the Hornets' late charge despite playing with four fouls. She buried three quick missiles and hit a layup, making it 42-27. Midway through the quarter, she drew a foul and hit both free throws, bringing Hillsdale to within 13."Hayley is a great kid and she's got a great future ahead of her," Langston said. "She changed the face of girls basketball in Hillsdale."Maystead fouled out with just under three minutes remaining. Jamee Thompson hit a 3-pointer with 2:17 left, making it 44-32, but Madison's defense kept the Hornets off the board down the stretch.Maystead had 19 points in her final prep game for Hillsdale. Thompson added nine points, while Maple and Sanderson both scored two points.Morris finished with 14 points to lead the Trojans. Shayla Villarreal added nine points, while Haley Hudson scored six points. Bussing had five points and Brittany Kelly finished with four points.

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